Pick-to-Light Systems: Elevating Order Accuracy

A pick-to-Light system is a warehouse order-picking technology that uses lights to guide workers to the correct product locations, streamlining the picking process. Light indicators are installed at various storage locations, and when an order is received, the lights illuminate to direct workers to the correct location. Small digital displays near the lights typically show the quantity of items to be picked, allowing for quick and easy retrieval. Workers confirm the pick by pressing a button or scanning the location.

Consider this: out of 1,000,000 orders, if the average order picking accuracy is 99.4%, it means that 6,000 orders could be wrong. That translates to 6,000 unhappy customers. These figures highlight the importance of implementing technologies like pick-to-light systems to maximize order accuracy.

Incorporating pick-to-light systems into operations yields numerous advantages. Here are some of the key benefits:

• Improved Picking Accuracy: By guiding workers directly to the correct items with visual cues, pick-to-light systems drastically reduce picking errors, resulting in higher order accuracy rates.
• Increased Productivity: With clear visual indicators and optimized picking routes, workers can complete orders more quickly and efficiently, leading to higher throughput and increased productivity.
• Quick Training Time: Pick-to-light systems are intuitive and easy to use, requiring minimal training for new employees. This reduces onboarding time and allows workers to become proficient more quickly.
• Real-time Inventory Management: By tracking item movements in real-time, pick-to-light systems help provide accurate inventory data, enabling better inventory management and reducing the risk of stockouts or overstock situations.
• Order Fulfillment Speed: By streamlining the picking process and minimizing errors, pick-to-light systems enable faster order fulfillment, reducing lead times and improving customer satisfaction.

Warehouse automation technologies like autonomous mobile robots (AMR) and automated storage and retrieval systems (ASRS), can work alongside pick-to-light systems to improve accuracy and speed in order-picking. For example, the Exotec^® Skypod^® system is a mobile ASRS that uses robots to transport goods between high-density storage racks and ergonomic picking stations equipped with pick-to-light technology. Here’s how it works:

• The Skypod system robots receive orders from the warehouse execution system (WES). The robots then travel through the racks, pick the bins with the ordered goods, and bring them to the picking stations.
• These stations have screens with pick-to-light technology that show the order details, such as items, quantities, and locations in the storage bin. These screens give operators real-time instructions.
• Light modules highlight the item’s location within the bin, guiding the picker. Barcode scanners ensure accuracy by confirming that the correct item is picked, syncing with the WES.
• From there, a put-to-light system directs the operator to the correct spot for placing the item, whether it’s in a designated slot or a preparation container.

Together, these tools create a cohesive and efficient warehouse environment, significantly enhancing accuracy and productivity so customers receive the correct orders.

Experience a new era of precision and productivity with the Skypod system. Explore how it transforms warehouse operations and boosts order accuracy by taking our virtual warehouse tour.

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